Gleemax: A Gamer's Social Network, Complete with Games

I hadn't heard of Gleemax until this year's Digital Life, where they set up their booth, under the Wizards of the Coast banner and signups for the service stood next to games like Magic: The Gathering Online, Dungeons and...

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I hadn't heard of Gleemax until this year's Digital Life, where they set up their booth, under the Wizards of the Coast banner and signups for the service stood next to games like Magic: The Gathering Online, Dungeons and Dragons Insider, and Uncivilized: The Goblin Game. After discussing Uncivilized with a rep for a good long time, he suggested that I check out Gleemax, partially to get a shot at he Uncivilized beta test, and also because of the burgeoning social networking service's own merits.

Gleemax is a bit more than just a social network for gamers, it's also a gaming porta. Since Gleemax is a subsidiary of Wizards of the Coast (WoTC), so their games are primarily available through the service. Magic: The Gathering Online and Dungeons and Dragons Insider are two of the pilot games. A new turn-based strategy game called Uncivilized: The Goblin Game is also looking for beta testers exclusively from the Gleemax community.

The Gleemax social community is still growing and lacks some of the traditional features of many social networks (profiles with friends-lists and such), but the service does have robust forums and community portals. There's a forum and community page for each game, both tabletop and digital, that WoTC sells or owns. If you play any of the games--not just the ones that are available on the Gleemax site--you can create a persistent presence across all of them. If you're interested in any new one, learning more is as simple as a post to that game's forums.

The community aspect doesn't end with forums and user interaction, however. The folks behind Gleemax update their communal blog regularly with new updates on WoTC games, Gleemax features, news, reviews, and tips. You can create a custom homepage at Gleemax with your games, your posts and forums, and your favorite information on it.

The site is planning on adding more games and features, and giving members first crack at new online WoTC games and access to downloads and online games that WoTC makes available for purchase in their online store.

A number of game publishers are trying this model; creating a social Website where fans of the publisher's titles can form a community and the publisher can tap that community for beta testing and product releases, but so far the results are mixed. Gleemax is leading off with the same games that were shown at Digital Life: Magic: The Gathering Online and Dungeons and Dragons. However, the beta and subsequent release of Uncivilized: The Goblin Game will be an excellent test as to whether Gleemax can survive as a portal for games and gamers looking to download and play new titles.